Kerecis Ltd, a small company in Iceland has the only FDA-approved skin substitute derived from fish.

Fertram Sigurjonsson is the Chairman and CEO of Kerecis. His small company has spent the past nine years applying fish skin to the treatment of chronic wounds, those that take longer than a month to heal.

The materials in fish skin, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, yield natural anti-inflammatory effects that speed healing. When placed on wounds, the product, made from dried and processed fish skin, works as an extracellular matrix, a group of proteins and starches that plays a crucial role in recovery.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Kerecis’ fish skin treatment, Omega3 Wound, late last year.